Will Having Children Make You Happy? The Dichotomy of Our Society

If you asked every parent if having children has given them happiness, you will probably get an overwhelming positive response. One of the reasons for this is that no parent wants to divulge any degree of unhappiness as that might reflect poorly on them from a social standpoint. Psychologists, analysts and professionals of all realms have studied whether having children actually does increase an individual or a couples level of happiness.

The question as to whether having kids makes you a happier person is actually rather complicated. Adding children into your life increases the stress level as well as responsibilities. Many people, seem to not only be ready for but anticipate this never level of life. Others do not have the desire to add to their already overburdened lifestyle or simply do not want to give up their existing freedoms. The choice to have children is just that, a choice and not all moments of family life are happy. Many parents will select the often fewer moments of delight to focus on and rationalize that their children have made them happy. Other parents take the good and the bad as a blend and look to their lives as more enriched.

Parents of all types usually indicate that they love their children, no matter what. But the question of happiness in having children also depends upon the type of kids you have. If you have a challenged child; one that requires all of your attention and focus as well as time, you feel drained and distraught. This is what happened in our lives. We love our son, but his extreme ADHD, combined with both of our demanding jobs created a rift in our marriage instead of what most would look forward to as the joy of having kids. Each day was a success if we managed to get through it without major behavioral problems at home or school.

The bottom line answer seems to be that having children will not necessarily make you happy. It is the common sense answer that happiness involves all aspects of your life. Children can be a blessing of smiles and enjoyment, but you must be happy with yourself to overcome the challenging hurtles you face with raising kids.

Source: http://living.msn.com/family-parenting/does-having-kids-make-you-happy-1

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.